Today we would like to take a closer look at the new 8-channel sound card from M-Audio based on the newest version of the Envy24 sound controller. The product is called Revolution 7.1. But will it bring a real revolution to the sound market? Read in our article!

The line-In of Revolution is supported by AKM AK5380 ADC, which is a relatively inexpensive solution for high-end systems. It communicates with Envy24 controller across a single serial output and doesn’t require any additional external components.

Stereophonic AKM AK5380 ADC

Sample rate: from 4 to 96kHz, 24bit;

THD+N: -94dB;

Dynamic range: 105dB.

Revolutionary Software

In fact, you only need the driver and the control panel to use Revolution. As for the bundled software, you decide for yourself whether you want it on your hard disk. Besides the installation CD and bundled software CD, there is a third disk with the “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3” game.

So, the control panel itself is a window with five tabs. The main tab shows the master volume control and icons for quick load of speaker system presets (QuickSwitch Settings). Other functionality of the panel is spread among the rest of the tabs.

The first of them, Speaker Setup, contains settings for the speaker system. There are volume controls for the left and right front channels. By default, it changes both volumes, serving as a fader of front and rear channels (for independent adjustment, you should uncheck the Link Stereo Output Levels checkbox). You can set the distance between the satellite and the listener for each audio channel (this function is implemented by delaying the signal). Beneath the window that shows a picture of the currently selected speaker system, you can choose two modes, Speaker Bass Management and Virtual 7.1; their names are self-explanatory.